Aerosol Alternatives Put Squeeze on Ozone Damage by Don Rittner In a first of its kind lawsuit, Gillette, S.C. Johnson & Co., Proctor & Gamble, and Revlon were recently cited with 42 counts for violating New York City's Consumer Protection Law for falsely claiming their aerosol products are "Ozone-friendly." According to NYC Consumer Commissioner Mark Green, "These aerosol products are not air-friendly. They release hydrocarbons that cause ozone to form at ground level. And ozone causes smog and respiratory illness." According to testimony filed by Green, all the aerosol cans contained hydrocarbons like butane or propane as propellants. When released into the air they interact with nitrogen oxides and UV light to form ozone. This ozone is a main component of smog and is a respiratory irritant that can be harmful to the elderly or young children and can aggravate asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema, claims Green. The companies could have avoided the action if they had used a new gas free aerosol bottle designed by a New Jersey company. Exxel/ATMOS, Inc. from Somerset, New Jersey, produces a plastic aerosol can that works on the physics of elasticity. The five step process starts with a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottle (the kind used to make large soda bottles and are recyclable) that is pleated and fitted with a valve. The bottle is inserted into a rubber sleeve, placed in an outer container made from HDPE (high density polyethylene, also recyclable), and then filled with the product. The contents are injected under pressure which expands the bottle and stretches the rubber shield. The rubber's propensity to contract provides the pressure to produce the spray. No hydrocarbon or fluorocarbon gases are needed as a propellant. Other benefits include room for more product (10 to 30% propellent gas per unit time sprayed is normal overhead) and allows product purity (no mix with propellents). The company claims the process delivers 95% of its contents. All but the rubber is recyclable. According to Exxel spokesperson Judi Topper, more than 50 companies are now using the special aerosol bottles and are producing some 150 products distributed worldwide. Claims such as ease of use, product purity, safety, air tight package, cost reduction, design flexibility, cleanliness, are all cited as reasons for using the ATMOS products according to an Exxel customer product list, but it is the gas free propellant system that rates high with environmental concerns. Donna Bakker Crosby, Marketing Director for Tender Corporation, makers of outdoor products, uses the ATMOS system for their Natrapel insect repellant, an EPA approved natural based insect repellant. "As a company that tries to market responsibly, we were searching for a way to keep chemicals out of our natural product, since historically repellants sell better in aerosol form," she said when asked why she preferred the ATMOS system. "We rolled out the product [using the ATMOS bottle] last summer and it did very well so now we are expanding it to other products." Tender markets the bottle under the "Eco-Spray" name. "Green" packaging also can translate into better profits for companies according to a recent national Roper Poll on the environment. Three in ten American consumers have bought a product specifically because of green advertising or labeling, according to the Roper Poll. Since eight in ten Americans would like to see the use of safe propellants required by law in all aerosol products, and with 69% of the American public expressing concern about the destruction of the ozone layer, more companies are likely to use gas-free aerosol technology in the near future. CONTACT Judi Topper, K.P. Ross, Public Relations for Exxel, NYC (212) 308 3333 Donna Bakker Crosby, Tender Corporation, Littleton, NH 800-258-4696 Mark Green, NYC Consumer Affairs (212) 487 4270 Copyright 1991, Don Rittner ---------- Don Rittner is the author of EcoLinking: Everyone's Guide to Online Information (Peachpit Press), a columnist for Environment News Service, and Host of America Online's Environmental Forum.